The Soul and Body

Peter Lee

On the 27^th of January, 2015, the school discovered that a fellow senior classmate, David Jung, had passed away. The next day, the Anatomy and Physiology class drove to Aimst University to once again encounter “death.”

            Along with Mr. Stuart and Mr. Brewster, the class hopped in a van and drove to Aimst University for a tiring two hours. However, 10 minutes away from the destination, the van ran out of gas. Fortunately, the van was behind a stoplight; and Mr. Brewster woke a few of the students, including me, to push the van from behind. They pulled the van over to the edge of the street, and a few students journeyed out to ask for help. After a few phone calls and a patient silence, Aster Hng (11) and Shawn Lim (12) brought a generous, local man to guide the class to the nearest gas station. Soon thereafter, the class safely arrived at Aimst University only to discover something they would never have expected.

            The Anatomy and Physiology class—taught by Mr. Stuart, who is an actual chiropractor— was studying the heart and its functions after Christmas break. Thus, Mr. Stuart wanted to arrange a field trip to help the class better understand the functions of the heart and, more importantly, to give them an exposure to medical care and treatments for prospective medical students.

            The class went on an expedition around the Aimst campus, exploring the myriad faculties of engineering and medicine. However, unlike most field trips, this one had a “deadly” turn of events. The doctors and professors of the medical faculties brought out legs, arms, and heads of cadavers to give the class an idea of identifications and dissections of the human body. All of the students, although frightened by the dead bodies, were eager to touch and visualize them. With the guidance of Mr. Brewster and Mr. Stuart, the students were able to identify the various veins and muscles as well as the more obvious body parts, such as the ears and nose.

            “The dead bodies smelled rotten and atrocious; it made me feel queasy. I can still remember the smell,” cried out Brian Hiew (12). 

             "The field trip to Aimst University was really cool! I had the opportunity of holding a brain and touching the different muscles in a leg," exclaimed Amanda Goh (12). 

            By the end of the day, the Anatomy class said their farewells to the university, and everyone slept peacefully on their two-hour drive back to school knowing that this day would be a day to remember.